The present invention relates generally to the field of prefabricated concrete wall construction, and more specifically, to a safe room constructed of prefabricated concrete wall panels.
Every year, hundreds of people are killed by natural disasters including hurricanes, tropical storms and the like. Many of these deaths are attributable to flying debris. For example, typical wall studs are often dislodged and hurled through the air at speeds upwards of 100 miles per hour. These airborne studs become missiles which can easily travel through standard stick frame construction. As a result, people in the path of a storm generally do not have a place to hide from these objects and must rely on circumstance to avoid being struck and injured or killed.
An additional problem experienced during such natural disasters is the failure, and thereby the removal of roofs from places of shelter. Once the roof of the structure is removed, the people inside become at greater risk of being struck by flying and falling debris.
Accordingly, there is a need for a safe heaven for people to retreat to during storms which is less susceptible to the above problems.
The present invention relates to a system for forming a safe room. A plurality of preformed concrete wall panels are interconnected to form a room perimeter. Each panel includes an extension portion and a top beam which together define a shelf. A roof panel is positioned within the room perimeter and is set upon and secured to the generally continuous shelf defined by the interconnected panels such that the roof is slightly recessed.